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Richard Garella, October 20, 2006 (view all comments by Richard Garella)
Lewis visited Indochina back when a Westerner in Phnom Penh could end up dining with the king by happenstance. Cambodia and Laos especially are much as they were when Lewis visited; if you're familiar with those places reading A Dragon Apparent can become a game of recognition, if not, I think you'll still find it absorbing, as it's elegantly written by a master observer.
With this book Lewis made a major contribution to the conception of Southeast Asia in the West -- for better or worse. But note that Lewis writes from an earlier age of travelogue, when a European made no particular effort to hide his own perspective and writes unapologetically as an outsider. It is an honest approach, as long as you are aware of it.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)

Richard Garella, October 20, 2006 (view all comments by Richard Garella)
Lewis visited Indochina back when a in Phnom Penh could end up dining with the king by happenstance. Cambodia and Laos especially are much as they were when Lewis visited; if you're familiar with those places reading A Dragon Apparent can become a game of recognition, if not, I think you'll still find it absorbing, as it's elegantly written by a master observer.
With this book Lewis made a major contribution to the conception of Southeast Asia in the West -- for better or worse. But note that Lewis writes from an earlier age of travelogue, when a European made no particular effort to hide his own perspective and writes unapologetically as an outsider. It is an honest approach, as long as you are aware of it.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)

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